Heidi Nelson, MD, FACS
Medical Director, ACS Cancer Programs
Revival and Renewal
Imagine experiencing a spring that follows 2 long, unrelenting years of winter; that is what it felt like to see friends and colleagues at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Cancer Programs March meetings. From the first lunch to the last committee meeting, the enthusiasm was palpable, and the conversations and ideas were free flowing. While the virtual work of the Cancer Programs never stopped during the pandemic, this in-person gathering renewed our sense of purpose, joy, and connectedness. It was a kind of revival, the definition of which is “an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again.”
We are grateful that virtual meetings, site visits, and conferences preserved the functions of the Cancer Programs, but we can now see how important the in-person meetings are to supporting our community. It was clear at the meetings that three-dimensional networking reinforces our commitment to improving the quality of cancer care through the development of new standards, quality measures, and quality improvement projects. And while we were proud to celebrate the first 100 years of the Commission on Cancer (CoC), we also expressed our dedication to supporting advancements that will deliver the Commission into the next century. We hope and expect that others will experience this sense of revival and renewal as they attend the accreditation meetings in May and the Quality and Safety Conference in July.
Please visit our website for more information and to register for these upcoming meetings:
ACS Cancer Accreditation Programs: Continually Advancing Quality Cancer Care
May 20–22, 2022
Denver, CO
ACS Quality and Safety Conference
July 15–18, 2022
Chicago, IL
ACS Cancer Programs Salutes Registrars during National Cancer Registrars Week
The ACS Cancer Programs congratulates and recognizes cancer registrars during the 26th annual National Cancer Registrars Week, April 4–8, 2022. Cancer registrars are key contributors and provide integral support to their programs accredited by the Commission on Cancer, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), and National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), and to the data collection and analysis of cancer patient data to improve the quality of patient care. Their contributions are vital to our work.
National Cancer Registrars Week is sponsored by the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA). The theme for 2022 is Cancer Registrars Enhance Cancer Care One Data Point at a Time. The NCRA website includes links to resources cancer programs can use to observe the special week, including an elevator speech, template letters to elected officials, and social media graphics.
ACS Cancer Programs would also like to recognize the following Certified Tumor Registrars (CTRs) on our team who support our programs on a daily basis:
- Deloris Akins, CTR, User Support Specialist, National Cancer Database (NCDB)
- Asa Carter, CTR, Senior Manager, Education and Training
- Vicki Chiappetta, CTR, Senior Accreditation Specialist, Accreditation and Standards
- Donna Gress, CTR, Manager, Cancer Staging and Registry Operation
- Susanne Kessler, CTR, Manager, Information and Data Standards, NCDB
- Cindy Traylor-Richards, CTR, User Support Specialist, NCDB
- Aleisha Williams, CTR, Technical Specialist, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)
